


Going for a Check-Up

by lachatblanche



Series: Lehnsherr M.D. [2]
Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Medical, Doctors & Physicians, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 18:23:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11697294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lachatblanche/pseuds/lachatblanche
Summary: Dr. Lehnsherr's team know better than to disturb him when he's in one of his contemplative moods. Luckily, they know someone who hasn't learned that lesson.





	Going for a Check-Up

Dr. Erik Lehnsherr was sitting on the floor of his office, deep in thought, staring at the wall while three shiny metal balls hovered restlessly over the palm of his hand.

‘How long has he been sitting like that?’ Dr. Alex Summers muttered warily, leaning his head towards Dr. Darkholme so that his words didn’t carry over to where Erik was sitting.

Raven shrugged. ‘Three or four hours,’ she answered, sounding supremely unconcerned. ‘Give or take a few minutes.’

Dr. Cassidy shot her a look of apprehension. ‘And he just … hasn’t moved? At all?’ He shook his head with something like awe. ‘Is that _normal_?’

Dr. Salvadore snorted. ‘It’s _Lehnsherr_ ,’ she said, arching an eyebrow. ‘When is he _ever_ normal?’

‘Good point.’ Sean studied Erik curiously. ‘Should we maybe say something …?’

‘And get our heads bitten off?’ Angel looked scornful. ‘No way.’

‘Well we can’t just hang around here waiting for him to break,’ Alex said, looking grumpy. ‘I’ve been here all night, I want to go _home_. We need to snap him out of it.’

‘What we _need_ ,’ Raven interrupted, looking at Erik’s drawn brow speculatively. ‘Is a patsy. A sacrificial lamb. Someone to take one for the team.’

She looked at the others. The others looked back at her, apprehensive. 

There was a moment’s pause. 

Raven sighed. ‘I’m talking about Charles,’ she said flatly. ‘We need Charles.’

The relief on the faces of the other three was, quite frankly, unbecoming for medical professionals of their calibre. 

‘We need Charles,’ they echoed in unanimous agreement.

*****

Charles entered the office eight minutes later, looking tired and slightly ruffled.

‘Whatever this is, Erik, stop it and go home, please,’ he said exhaustedly even as he threw himself down into a chair and brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose. He opened his mouth to say more but then paused when he saw the deep lines of concentration etched on Erik’s forehead. ‘Ah,’ he said, relenting. ‘I see. Mrs. Fielding giving you trouble, is she?’

It took a minute for Erik to pull his gaze away from where he was staring blankly at the wall opposite him. ‘Oh,’ he said dismissively when his eyes alighted on Charles. ‘It’s _you_.’

Charles’s eyebrows rose. ‘Yes,’ he said dryly. ‘It’s me. Who else would it be?’

Erik shrugged. ‘I don’t know,’ he said, sounding vague. ‘That idiot Summers, maybe.’

‘The older Summers or the younger?’ 

Erik turned and gave him a look. ‘Why would Scott Summers be sitting in my office?’ he asked flatly.

Charles shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Why would Alex Summers be sitting in your office?’

Erik narrowed his eyes. ‘Stop acting dim,’ he said, scowling. ‘I need intelligent brains in this room, not idiot ones. Which is _another_ reason why Summers isn’t in this office.’ He paused. ‘ _Either_ Summers.’

Charles rolled his eyes. ‘You really ought to stop being so hard on Scott, you know, he’s really not all that—’

‘The man’s an ass,’ Erik said bluntly. ‘You know it, I know it. _Everyone_ knows it. The guy thinks that he’s god’s gift to medicine just because he’s a cardio surgeon. As if that’s hard.’ He glanced at Charles. ‘Even neuro is _marginally_ more complicated than what he does.’

‘Marginally?’ Charles looked outraged. ‘I work on the _brain_ , how is that not – no, you know what, I’m not doing this with you again. I know you think that diagnostics is the be all and end all of medicine, but please, give the rest of us a _bit_ of credit.’

‘You serve a purpose, I suppose,’ Erik said reluctantly. He turned back to the wall opposite him, glaring dully at it even as the three metal balls that he always had on him revolved slowly around his palm.

Charles watched him closely for a moment. ‘Maybe it’s cancer,’ he suggested quietly as Erik continued to glare at the wall. ‘That would explain a lot of the symptoms.’

‘A lot of them,’ Erik agreed, even as he kept his gaze trained straight ahead. ‘But not all.’ He shook his head. ‘It’s not cancer.’

‘Still,’ Charles persisted, frowning a little. ‘It wouldn’t hurt to take a closer look. You could page Dr. MacTaggert from oncology for a consult—’

Erik snorted at that. ‘Sure,’ he drawled. ‘You would like that, wouldn’t you, Charles?’

‘I have no idea what you mean,’ Charles said haughtily.

‘Sure you do.’ Erik smirked. ‘Dr. MacTaggert … her first name is Moira, isn’t it?’

‘What about it?’ Charles asked, suspicious.

‘Nothing,’ Erik shrugged, before smirking again. ‘Only you’re having lunch with a Moira on Friday, so …’

Charles blinked. ‘How on earth did you know that?’ he demanded, looking perplexed. 

‘I read your diary,’ Erik said easily, and then rolled his eyes at Charles’s ensuing outrage. ‘Really, Charles,’ he said, shaking his head and watching the three metallic spheres lazily circle over his palm as Charles loudly voiced his indignation. ‘I don’t know what you’re so upset about. It was only a date diary, not a sixteen-year-old girl’s journal.’

‘You had no right to go into my private things and _snoop_!’ Charles protested. His cheeks were becomingly pink, Erik noticed vaguely. He quickly shook his head and turned his attention back to the matter at hand.

‘I hardly _snooped_ , Charles,’ he said mildly, shrugging a shoulder with admirable carelessness ‘It’s not _my_ fault that you left your diary right out there in the open where anyone could have—’ He abruptly paused, going still. Even the metal balls above his palm halted, mid-orbit.

Charles, who had been about to protest Erik’s words, tilted his head to the side and watched him curiously. Then he shook his head and sighed. ‘You’ve just figured it out, haven’t you?’ he said, his voice a mixture of fond exasperation and genuine admiration.

Erik flashed him a quick grin, even as he got to his feet. ‘Couldn’t have done it without you, Charles,’ he murmured, moving towards the door. ‘Our conversations remain illuminating as always.’

‘Glad I could help,’ Charles responded snippily, before shaking his head and laughing when Erik paused at the door. ‘Go, go,’ he said, waving his hand in dismissal. ‘Go and save poor Mrs. Fielding, don’t wait on my account.’

Erik’s lips turned upwards and he nodded at Charles before he opened the door and walked through.

Charles, left alone, sighed and looked out at the empty office around him. Then, stretching out his legs, he shuffled backwards in his seat, and, making himself comfortable, he leaned back and closed his eyes.

 _Give Mrs. Fielding my regards_ , he said with a stifled yawn, reaching out to Erik’s mind. _And then when you get back you can take me to lunch and tell me all about how I helped you save your patient_.

He felt a small spike of amusement from Erik, who was now walking swiftly towards the ward. _I suppose you deserve that_ , he said teasingly. His mental voice then softened. _Thank you, Charles_ , he said quietly.

Charles smiled. _Oh you know me_ , he said lazily. _I’m just here to “serve a purpose”_. He felt Erik smile ruefully at hearing his own words parroted back to him, and Charles chuckled, his mental voice becoming fonder. _You’re very welcome Erik_. He paused. _So. Chinese for lunch, do you think?_

 _Hmm_ , Erik considered, even as he approached the room Mrs. Fielding was being kept in. _I’m in the mood for Thai._

Charles paused. _We’re just going to end up eating in the cafeteria again, aren’t we?_ he asked, resigned. 

Erik smiled. _Why Charles_ , he murmured. _You’re turning into a pessimist. How delightful._ His smile widened even as he halted in front of the door to Mrs. Fielding’s room. _I’ll see you in our usual spot in half an hour._

Back in Erik’s office, Charles rolled his eyes. ‘Bastard,’ he muttered, even as he smiled to himself. _Half an hour_ , he agreed fondly, and then closed his eyes and settled down for a pleasant, Erik-free thirty-minute nap.


End file.
